Gate latch



J. P. MORSH Dec. 3; 1940.

GATE LATCH Filed July 19, 1938 m M M M IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNlTED STATES GATE LATCH John Paxton Morsh, Peachland, British Columbia,

Cana

Application July 19, 1938, Serial No. 220,081

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a latch designed primarily for use in connection with swinging gates, one of the objects being to provide a latch having a bumper at each side of the gate by means of which the pressure of a vehicle against either bumper will result in disengagement of the latch from its keeper and swinging of the gate to open position.

A further object is to provide a structure of this character which will automatically lock the gate when it swings back by gravity to normal or closed position.

A further object is to provide a latch which is simple in construction and can 'be installed readily on an ordinary swinging gate.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of a closed gate having the present improvements combined therewith.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the latch keeper.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates a gate post to which is rotatably connected an upright 2 constituting one end of a gate 3, this upright being slightly tilted away from the vertical so that the gate will automatically move by gravity to close position with one end close to a latch post 4. In the structure illustrated this latch post has an offset portion forming a shoulder 5 on which is mounted a keeper 6 which, as shown in Figure 4, has a centrally disposed latch-receiving notch I, the top edges of the keeper being inclined downwardly away from the notch as indicated at 8.

Secured to opposite sides of the gate adjacent to the hinged end thereof are strips 9 between which is pivotally mounted one end of a latch bar Ill the other end of which is slidable within a guide bracket H and projects a short distance beyond the free end of the gate where it can move against and ride along the inclined edges 8 of the keeper 6. This latch is so proportioned as to seat within notch I when brought to position thereabove.

A pair of angle strips l2 are fastened to each side of the gate adjacent to the center thereof and extend from top to bottom of the gate. Pivotally mounted between the strips ll of each pair is the upper end portion of a hanger l3 and at the upper end of each hanger is a lifting finger I4 so proportioned as to extend under the latch bar In. The lower portion of each lever I3 con-' stitutes a bumper and can be covered with a soft material, as indicated at 15.

The twolevers are oppositely disposed and are adapted to be limited in their swinging movement toward each other by cushions l 3 mounted between the lower ends of the strips l2.

Deflecting shields I! in the form of thin metal plates can be connected to the lower portions of the gate at opposite sides thereof. These shields are inclined relative to the sides of the gate and are adapted to extend at one end in front of the adjacent levers l3. This is clearly shown in Figure 3. If desired the shields can be joined to the gate by means of hinges l8. If they are not hinged, however, they can be fixedly secured to the gate and flex when subjected to pressure as hereinafter explained.

Normally the gate is closed with latch bar It resting in engagement with its keeper 6, the. gate moving automatically to closed position by gravity in View of the fact that its axis of rotation is inclined away from the vertical. When a vehicle approaches the gate it is caused to gently press against the lower end of lever l3 at the nearer side of the gate and this pressure will be suflicient to cause the finger M of said lever to thrust upwardly against bar It], thereby lifting the bar out of engagement with its keeper. Continued forward movement of the vehicle will cause it to thrust against the unfastened gate with the result that the gate will be swung back out of the way and as the vehicle passes the gate, it will wipe along the shields ll if the gate has not been thrown back far enough to escape the passing vehicle. After the vehicle has gone through the gate, said gate will swing back automatically to closed position where it will be locked and ready to be again opened by a vehicle approaching it from either side.

The weight of the bar is sufficient to hold the lever i3 normally inclined as shown in Figure 2.

If necessary guide strips l9 can'be secured to the inner sides of the strips l2 so as to hold the latch bar l0 against lateral displacement within the gate.

What is claimed is:

The combination with agate hinged at one end and a latch bar pivotally connected to and movable with the gate, of opposed depending levers pivotally connected to the gate and diverg ing downwardly, lifting fingers extended toward each other from the'upper ends of the respective levers and positioned beneath and in contact with the latch bar, said bar constituting a weightfor exerting athrust downwardly on .the fingers, thereby to maintain the levers normally in downwardly diverging positions, the lower ends of the levers being positioned at such a level: as

to receive thrust from the forward end of an approaching vehicle, thereby to lift the bar, and deflecting shields converging toward the hinge end of the gate and secured thereto at their converging ends, the opposite ends of the shields being separate from but-positioned to transmit thrust to the lower end portions of the levers, each of said shields being formed of a flexible smooth sheet of .material proportioned to receive side thrust from the adjacent advancing side 10 portions of a vehicle thrusting against a lever. JOHN PAX'ION MORSH. 

